The Angel Experience
by Holly-Batali
Summary: Kat is a human-tigris hybrid: part human, part Bengal tiger. When she escapes Itex at the cost of her mentor's life and meets Max and the flock, can they trust her, help her to avenge the death of her mentor, and bring down the place that ruined her life?
1. A Day in the Life

Maximum Ride

The Angel Experience

By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: I own Kat and Feng Chi, nothing else. The Itex in Seattle probably doesn't exist in the original book, but to be safe, it doesn't belong to me either. All original credit goes to James Patterson.

Chapter One: A Day in the Life

Kat sat on the cold metal floor of her cage, hugging her knees as she looked with open hostility at her surroundings. Her cage was on a cart being wheeled by one the scientists toward another lab. White walls, white floors, white-garbed figures…nothing but white as she glanced around. The only things that weren't white were the iron bars of her cage, the stainless steel cart, and herself. She glanced down at her dirty grey sweatpants and the matching torn t-shirt. Her long wavy ginger hair was disheveled and dirty, like the rest of her appearance. Her long tail swished the floor of the cage, pale orange with black stripes, the colors of a Bengal tiger. Her ears, the same color as her tail and hair, complete with stripes, poked out of her untidy locks, drooping slightly. Her amber cat-like eyes swept idly around, trying unsuccessfully to find some glimmer of difference. It felt the same as it had for the past fourteen years of her life. There was never anything new in this hole.

It wasn't easy being a human-tigris hybrid…

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

"Tā mėn shì huaì reń!" Kat spat out to a short Chinese scientist, who was busy dabbing antiseptic on the hybrids bleeding arm. His name was Feng Chi, the only scientist Kat could tolerate. In fact, she loved Feng Chi like a father; he had taught her everything she knew, including Mandarin Chinese and Latin. He listened patiently to Kat's ranting.

_They are evil people, _she had said, and she was right. They had been deliberately made things harder for her today, and she wasn't going to stay quiet about it. He could sympathize, but he could not empathize. "Nĭ hăo ma?" he asked her. _How are you?_

"Wŏ hén shèng qī!" she quietly shrieked. _I am very angry. _

"Don't worry," said Feng Chi, switching to English and trying to pacify her, "one day you will escape, and then you can see the City." _The City. _It was known simply as that to Kat. She knew the name, but The City sounded so much more realistic.

"I hate these scientists," she whispered. She stopped at that; some things were better left unsaid. Then she hopped off the counter and walked over to her cage. Feng Chi wasn't supposed to let her out of the cage, but he always did. Before she climbed back inside, she back Feng Chi a brief soft hug. "Xiè xie laŏshí, Wŏ aì nĭ." _Thank you teacher, I love you. _

Then she climbed into her cage, quietly shutting the door behind her. Then she curled up and slipped into blissful unconsciousness as the cart rolled off toward the kennels. She tried to get as much sleep as she could; she knew that tomorrow would only be worse.

* * *

Everything was silent in the small South Dakota hotel room. The pale morning light filtered through the stiff curtains onto a small table. The table had two occupants, sitting opposite each other. One was a tall strong boy, perhaps fourteen or fifteen; he had long dark hair and olive skin. He was dressed entirely in black and had a slightly smug expression on his face, his arms folded across his chest. The other was a girl, most likely the same age, with long sandy-blond hair and bright brown eyes. She was turning a card over and over in her hand, a nine of diamonds. She heaved an inward sigh and lifted her hand up slightly above the table, an expression of concentration on her attractive features. She brought the nine of diamonds down, almost resting on the pile of other cards. The last card of the castle. 

Suddenly, the door to the hotel room banged open to reveal three children, aproximately ages eleven, eight and six. The first, an energetic African-American girl, then a slightly chubby blond boy and a small innocent-looking girl, her blond curls bouncing. They all carried bags of groceries, and they proceeded to set them on the counter. The card castle had blown over, and lay scattered on the floor. The girl threw down the nine of diamonds and glared at the boy opposite her. _Just don't say it, _the expression seemed to say. He sent her a smug look and simply said in hushed tones, "Looks like I win." The girl rolled her eyes and walked over to help pack the groceries into backpacks.

"Angel, what did you guys get?" she asked, addressing the small blond girl.

Angel bounced over to her, "we got lots of canned stuff, like ravioli and peaches and stuff; then we got granola bars, gatorade...just stuff that travels easy and is high in carbs and sugar." The tall sandy-haired girl nodded approvingly.

"Hey Max," said the young boy, addressing the girl, "where's Ig? I haven't seen him all morning." Max did a quick scan of the room, affirming that the tall strawberry-blond blind boy was nowhere to be found.

"He's probably still sleeping Gazzy; he took Angel's watch last night since she was so tired. Angel sweetie, can you go check on him?" She cast a quick look at the bouncing six-year-old.

"Sure thing, Max." and then she was skipping off to the bedroom.

"Guess what Max," rushed the African-American girl.

Max took a deep breath and prepared herself for another long-winded monologue. "Yeah, Nudge?"

Sure enough, Nudge did not disappoint. "'Kay, so we were in the bread isle, right? And then out of nowhere, this guy bumps into me and drops his zucchini. And he was all, 'Whoa, sorry about that kid,' and I bent down to grab it for him, but so did he, and he bumped into he _again..._"Max could tell that this was going to go on for a while, and temporarily tuned out, still trying to look like she was paying attention; she didn't want to hurt Nudge's feelings. She tried to concentrate on where they were going to go next. _Any input, Voice? _She thought, mentally addressing the unpredictable pressence in her head. As usual, it was nowhere to be found when she wanted it. She tuned back to the Nudge channel for the time being.

"...so it turns out that he didn't like zucchini _either! _How weird is that?" Max tried to put on a look of mild surprise for Nudge's benefit. Over the crinkling of the grocery bags, they could now hear noises from the bedroom. It sounded suspiciously as if someone was jumping on the bed in tune to Iggy's annoyed exclamations of "A'right, I'm up, I'm up already!"

Angel skipped back into the room, followed by a disgruntled and sleepy Iggy, who was running a hand through his hair and groaning. "Wha' time is it?" he asked, his voice slurred by lack of sleep.

"'Bout eight o'clock," answered the Gasman. "Hey Max," he asked casually, "where are we headed next?"

Before Max could open her mouth, Angel had sprung in with, "Oh, can we go to Washington? Please, please, please please, _please?_" Max looked at her in surprise. "Um, why Washington, Angel? Did the whitecoats say anything about it?" Angel had undergone testing a short while back, and to the credit of her telepathic powers, had overheard quite a bit from the scientists there.

"No," she replied all wide-eyed innocence. "But it'd still be nice to go there."

"Why," put in Fang, who was hiding in the corner of the room, partially obscured by shadows. "What's with the sudden interest in Washington?"

"We could go to Seattle," put in Nudge excitedly, "it's a big city, so we'd blend in. No one would notice our wings or anything."

"And it's right on the water, easy for an emergency getaway," added Gazzy in what he hoped was a persuasive voice.

"And we could get a lot of info there," said Angel. As much as the three of them were trying to hide it, it was obvious that they were ganging up on the others. They probably wanted to try the food and shopping and everything. Max sighed and looked at Fang. He shrugged; _your call, leader. _

Max debated her options. They could go wherever the voice told her to take them, blindly following the precence of annoyance...Or, they could go to Seattle; enjoy themselves for a while, rest up, and fuel for a while...

"Alright guys," she agreed. "Seattle it is."

Authors Note: As usual, reviews and suggestions are appreciated. I apologize if any of the tone marks are off, but I'm still learning Mandarin. Nothing accidental is intended.


	2. Termination

The Angel Experience  
By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the original Maximum Ride; Kat and Feng Chi are mine only. All credit to original characters goes to James Patterson.

Chapter 2: Termination

Kat was woken by a careless scientist loading her back onto a cart, grunting with the effort of lifting her cage. She waited patiently as she was deposited outside a maze, and her cage was unlatched. Another maze—what else was new?

After an hour and a half in the maze, two hours on the treadmills, and then another three in the pools, testing the scientists theories of 'can the cat swim.' She would have thought this was an obvious 'yes,' since she had swimming for years, and hadn't drowned yet. But these scientists were either very stupid or very bored, possibly a combination of both.

After she had finished all three tasks, she was allowed to go back to the storage unit where all the experiments were held. She curled up in her cage, trying to take a nap. Feng Chi had told her a few years ago about "The City" outside of the lab. "It's the most beautiful place in the world," he had said, "and they have some of everything; great food, music, weather... And the buildings are incredible! The apartment buildings alone..." of course, he had to describe music, architecture, and apartment, but then Kat thought she understood: there was an entire world outside of hers that she knew nothing about. There were whole countries--another word Feng Chi had to describe--that she had never even heard of! Of course, as a test subject, she didn't hear much of the local gossip, but still...

Then, she had asked the million-dollar question: "Does it have a name?" It did: Seattle. _Seattle... _

She was startled out of her musings as a burly scientist came up to her, reached in and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and dragged her out of her cage. She gave a surprised yelp--a high-pitched mew for her--and then began to hiss furiously. The scientist ignored her and threw her into another cage, this one doubling as a cart.

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me what's going on," she hissed vehemently, and was shocked to receive an answer.

"You're scheduled for termination," he said with disdain, beginning to wheel the cart away. Kat fought more violently, shaking and kicking the bars; she even tried to bite them, her small but razor-sharp fangs having no affect whatsoever. But she was desperate to find an escape before it was too late to run for it.

She could hear Feng Chi behind her, desperately pleading with the scientist, using any excuse he could think of. "...but we still have so much more to learn from her! We have only scratched the surface; if we were to start all over, it could take years to get results such as hers, if we ever got them at all! She could still change some, and we wouldn't be able to observe it!" His Beijing accent became more and more obvious as he became quickly more upset. The scientist got his fingers too close to the bars and Kat sunk her claws into his fingers, drawing blood. He yelled and slammed her head against the bars, drawing back his head rapidly.

They were in the basement now, and Kat could see that they were now joined by three others. They were all male; tall, muscular, and evil in appearance; they were also somehow..._wolfish_. She found the word, one that Feng Chi had taught her long ago: Erasers. She knew why they were here, and it made her fight even harder. They were here to terminate her.

The scientist dragged her out of the cage, this time with leather gloves. Kat hissed menacingly and felt a pang of proud satisfaction as she saw him flinch and glare. Despite Feng Chi's fervent objections, she was then--quite literally--thrown to the wolves. She smiled a little at Feng Chi, who was practically in tears at this point, and gave a last death glare at the burly scientist. Then she turned to the erasers.


	3. Into the Wild

The Angel Experience  
By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Kat and Feng Chi. All credit to original characters and places go to James Patterson.

Chapter 3: Into the Wild

The erasers stalked forward, those evil smiles plastered all over their faces. Kat's eyes desperately searched the room, looking for any means of escape or defense. There were no windows, no unlocked doors; there was a vent in the ceiling, but it was thirteen feet above her, and it wouldn't do her any good. The erasers were closing in now, and Kat crouched down slightly, unsheathing her claws. If they thought she was going to go quietly, they had another thing coming. She growled a challenge, sounding for the first time like a real Bengal tiger. She felt a savage pleasure to see them tense; she had always sounded more like a house cat than a tiger.

The first eraser lunged at her, reaching out to claw her. She hissed and leaped to the right, dodging the attack and brought up her foot, catching him in the ribs. She heard a satisfying _whoosh _as his breath burst out of him and he collapsed on the floor. The other erasers advanced quickly and she hunched down and bunched her muscles, then leaped straight at the first one with a savage yowl like an angry alley-cat, and hit him straight on, knocking him off his feet and onto the floor. She swiped at his face and with her claws, drawing blood. The eraser screamed, and the last eraser she hadn't had a chance at grabbed her around the middle, snatching her up. He threw her hard against a wall, then picked her up and sunk his fist into her stomach, cracking a rib. She brought up her legs and kicked him as hard as she could in his chest; he collapsed with a yell of pain.

Kat rushed over him to the first eraser, who had regained some composure and was now stumbling towards her, a fierce scowl on his face. She swiped her right-hand claws at his face, but he caught her hand and brought it up, above her head. She spun and pulled back one leg, then shot it up into his neck, he gasped and let go of her arm. She gave him a spinning kick to the back and sent him sprawling to the ground, where he stayed. The second eraser, his face still bleeding, rushed her and she leaped at him, diving right over him. As she arched downwards, she grabbed him around the neck and he fell, then she sunk her fangs into the base of his neck and he screamed. The last eraser was coming in again, and she looked up at the ceiling a few yards in front of him. _The vent..._

She crouched down, bunching her muscles tightly, and waited for him to get closer. Almost there... She leaped high, and using the erasers shoulders as a vaulting platform, she went straight up to the vent, crashing through it. She was in the heating ducts now, and she crawled swiftly away in what she hoped was the right direction: up. She could hear voices below her now, "I DON'T CARE WHAT IT TAKES! YOU GET HER OUT OF THERE NOW!" She knew that had to be the scientist that brought her into that situation in the first place. She gave a quick, fang-lined smile and muttered a few choice words for his benefit.

She crawled steadily upward, and eventually, reached other vents. Looking through them she could see the tiled hallways that were all too familiar. She saw signs lining the walls, but they wouldn't do her any good, even if they were in Chinese, as she couldn't so much as read her own name. She stopped for a moment, trying to find her bearings. Office, lab, office, lab, lab, mazes, pool--the pool! She had seen double doors at the end of the room with the pool in it, and Feng Chi had once told her that they led out into the loading bay. She listened carefully, making sure she was alone, then kicked out the vent, not caring how much noise it made. Then she jumped down, landing lightly on all fours. She rushed into the room and jumped into the water; there were no dry areas where she could walk across. After years of swimming, she was fast and powerful, and was soon halfway through the huge water-mass.

But she wasn't fast enough. The remaining eraser she had launched off of was there with four others like him. There was a small group of scientists, including Feng Chi, and they had all noticed her. The first eraser lifted his Browning automatic machine gun and fired. Kat felt the bullets stream through the water on all sides and she swam more quickly. They were all shouting, and going through a next-door room to cut her off. She cursed herself for not trying to find an alternate route, and swam even faster, not caring how tired she was becoming. She had swam farther than this, but she was exhausted from her fight and flight, and had used up a fair chunk of her adrenaline.

She reached the other side of the pool, and scrambled out, barreling through the heavy metal double doors. She was in a huge room, full of concrete walls and floors; there were vehicles everywhere, and the ceiling must have been at least sixty feet up. The small hunting party had caught up to her, and were streaming through a pair of doors to her left. She saw that the bay doors were slightly open, and ran for them with everything she had, ignoring the bullets that were streaking past her. She was almost there when one of the new erasers launched himself at her, catching her around the knees. She cried out and fell, trying to kick the eraser off. She connected her foot with his nose and heard the satisfying crunch of bone as his nose broke, severing nasal cartilage. He screamed and let go, and Kat scrambled to her feet. She heard a shout at the other end of the room, and turned to see the original eraser aiming his gun at her, reaching for the trigger. She froze, screaming at her muscles to move but not getting any response.

Then, Feng Chi was launching himself at the eraser, knocking his aim off. The bullets scatted harmlessly among the ceiling beams, and the gun clattered to the ground. The eraser roared in fury and flung Feng Chi as far as he could across the room. Kat abandoned her escape attempt momentarily and ran to her mentor. The eraser snatched up his gun and sprinted over to Feng Chi as well. Kat reached him and pulled him to his feet.

"Come on, we have to go," she said franticly. But Feng Chi just shook his head.

"No, you have to leave, now. I'll be fine; now _go_." The eraser had reached them now, and now his gun was trained once more on Kat.

"I hate to break up this lovely little rendezvous, but I have a job to do." Kat hissed fiercely, and crouched down, leaning towards her right.

"Yeah, you do seem to be having trouble getting things done," she retorted. She noticed Feng Chi slowly reaching towards his pocket out of the corner of her eye. She decided to try and keep the eraser occupied; the rest of his group had gathered behind him, waiting for further instructions.

"What's the matter with you," she continued snidely, "you look like you were in a car accident. Then again, perhaps that's normal for you; I wouldn't know, I don't get out much."

He growled at her, and she growled right back, once again sounding like the tiger whose DNA had been combined with hers. Feng Chi was pulling his hand out of her pocket, and she saw that it was some kind of transmitter or remote. He pushed the top button three times, and the bay doors began to grind open. All the attention was on the doors now, and Kat took advantage of it and sunk her fist into the erasers neck, bruising his windpipe, she hoped. He fell back onto the tightly gathered group and Kat started to run. The eraser growled and stared at Feng Chi, figuring out what had happened. He stood up and brought the gun around to Feng Chi, and fired. Kat stopped dead in her tracks, staring in horror and Feng Chi was blown off his feet onto the floor. She ran back to him as the eraser turned to the group to give them orders, "Call for backup, and seal off all exits. And shut those bay doors!"

Kat was next to Feng Chi now, who was breathing in rattles. He stuck a quivering hand into his pocket and pulled out a small leather square. Kat remembered that he had called it a wallet. He pressed it into her hands, "take it," he rasped, speaking in Mandarin. "It will help you." Kat became aware that water was leaking down her face now, and wondered what was wrong with her. Had she been shot too? "Zaì jiàn, wŏ xúeshēng." _Good-bye, my student. _Kat heard his breath catch, then release slowly; his eyes rolled into his head.

" Zaì jiàn, Laŏshī," she whispered, hearing her voice waver. _Good-bye teacher._

She closed his eyes, and looked over to the erasers, her eyes red-rimmed. She put Feng Chi's wallet in the waistband of her gray sweatpants and stood up. The eraser that had shot her mentor was smirking at her, enjoying her pain and fury. Kat jumped straight off her feet and swung in a circle to her right, her right foot snapping out to connect with his head. The eraser collapsed to the floor, unconscious as Kat sprinted for the closing bay doors, the bullets spraying behind her.

She leaped through the small crack between the doors just in time, the metal portal closing behind her. She stood up, and looked up, her eyes going wider than they ever had before. She was on a ledge, overlooking a huge mass of buildings and cars. There was an unbearably bright light above her as the midday sun shone on her, her ginger hair blowing in the warm breeze. There was a huge mass of water, beyond the buildings that must have been a hundred times bigger than the pool in the lab.

She was free. No longer a caged animal for testing. But only one word came to mind...

_Seattle..._


	4. Sunny Seattle

The Angel Experience

By Holly-Batali

Author's Note: Thanks so much to Aviator301, Jayde3, FateBreaker7, and EyeOfTheTiger for reviewing! (Also, for some clarification, contrary to the way this story is written, I actually have a great sense of humor!)

Disclaimer: I own Kat and nothing else. All original-story credit goes to James Patterson

Chapter 4: "Sunny Seattle"

"Oh, wow," breathed Nudge, her eyes like measuring cups. The flock was soaring over Seattle, coming in for a landing; it was one of those rare sunny days there, and Max didn't want to take any chances of being seen, so they were coming in on the outskirts of town, and would walk in from there. Flying in tight formation, they could converse easily, and the younger ones took advantage of this, especially Nudge. After a day and a half of this, Max was just about ready to cut her own ears off, even with her well-trained patience.

Fang moved closer to her and said, "you sure this is a good idea? It'd be easy to get spotted here."

Max sighed. "Yeah, it's just out luck to get the one sunny day, huh?"

"Actually, I was referring to the population, Max, not the weather. With this many people on the pier, if we were spotted there's nowhere to hide, we're right over the water." Max considered this, feeling like a moron for not thinking of this herself.

"Is there a warehouse dock anywhere, not many people?"

"'dunno, I'll ask Angel." He moved off to the left to see if the six year-old knew anything of interest from nearby thoughts, while Max scanned the approaching horizon. They were flying right on the water, so that they wouldn't have to risk being seen in a dive from above. Going to another crowded city was a big risk, and, knowing what had happened last time, in New York, she was reluctant to risk it. Then again, it could be good cover, just like Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy had pointed out in the hotel. They could get all the information they wanted here, they had tons of resources and, hopefully, no one knew where they were.

"Hey, Max," she jerked her head to the left, Fang looking at her with a suspicious expression. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she returned, "just thinking. You get anything from Angel?"

He nodded, a man of few words. "She says there's a warehouse district due north north-east." Max considered this.

"Okay, we'll head there." And with that she steered the flock away from their previous course and to the warehouses.

* * *

The flock crept stealthily through the rows of unmarked storage units, keeping low. They were safely in the city, and it was a 'so far so good' situation. They could hear music and laughter blaring a few yards ahead, and Max poked her head around the corner to check it out. Fang was behind her, followed by Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel. There was a group of teenagers around a stereo, listening to Lovecats by the Cure on full blast. She turned back to the flock. "There's a bunch of loser teenagers hanging out on the fence. Unless we can find another route, we're 'gonna have to wait until they clear off." Suddenly Angel smiled. 

"I think I can arrange something, Max," she said sweetly. Then she was skipping over to the teenagers, despite the hissed protests from the rest of the flock. Max raised her eyes heaven-ward and silently counted to ten, then turned back to their youngest flock-member. She could see Angel with her hands clasped behind her back, talking to the confused teenagers.

"What's she 'doin," muttered Iggy, sounding impatient.

"Just talking," answered Fang. "They look kind of confused. Oh, now they're picking up the stereo--now they're leaving. They still look confused. Yep, they're gone. Angel's coming back." Angel skipped back up to them, looking very pleased with herself.

"Angel," said Max sternly, "what have I told you about getting into people's heads and telling them what to do?" Angel just smiled sweetly and gave Max a quick peck on the cheek.

"I know, but you didn't want to wait all day until they cleared out, did you?" _Well, she's got me there, _Max thought in resignation.

"Well, are we gonna get out of here, or are we gonna wait for the next bunch of losers to show up," asked Iggy impatiently.

"All right guys, let's get out of here and find some food." This next statement from Max brought on a quiet round of cheering from the flock, and they headed for the fence where the teenagers with the stereo had been just moments before. They hopped the fence with ease and walked a ways down the wide streets. Finally, Nudge had the sense to check one of the maps outside a Starbucks.

"Okay," Nudge said, drawing out the word. "It looks like we're at...Colorado Avenue South." She traced her finger along the map upwards. "I think a good place to go would be...Pier 57," she said slowly. "It's got food and a gift shop, where we could pick up some new clothes; a Simply Seattle. Huh that's a catchy name..." While everyone else oggled at her mapping skills, she added, "We just go down to South Lander Street, take a left on 1st Avenue, another left on South Atlantic Street, and a right to Alaskan Way; a little over two miles, I'd say." She turned to face the rest of the flock, raising her eyebrows at the stunned expressions. "What?"

"Never mind," said Max shaking her head. A two trays of donuts and hot chocolate later, the flock left the Starbucks and started walking, under the guidance of Nudge, up towards Pier 57.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the amazing reviews! The Angel Experience just got 107 hits, that's good, so keep reading! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, please feel free to ask. Thanks again, Holly Batali. 


	5. Hybrids Just Want to Have Fun

The Angel Experience

By Holly-Batali

Author's Note: Sorry I took a few days to update, my mind is set on 'scramble' right now, so please bear with me. Once again, reviews are greatly appreciated, and I would be happy to answer any questions about the story. So here's chapter five, read on fanfic lovers!

Disclaimer: I own Kat only; all original characters and Itex belong to the genius that is James Patterson.

Chapter 5: Hybrids Just Want to Have Fun

She was finally here, in Seattle, her own personal city of dreams. She ignored the strange stares she was getting from passersby, most likely because of her soggy ragged clothes. She was thankful that her ears were covered by her knotted hair, and decided to stop and try to plan. She sat down on a cafe table and took out Feng Chi's wallet, her only possession. She carefully opened it and began gently shuffling through its contents. There were limp folded green papers--Feng Chi had called this money, and had even taught her how to use it--and the there were some plastic cards--credit cards, if she remembered correctly--and some other papers. She found a picture of his late wife, CeeCee, and him in Hong Kong a year before she died. There was even a picture of her, Kat. It showed her two years ago, when she was twelve. Her ginger and black striped ears and tail were still a little big, just like now, and her amber eyes were more lively, still hopeful that she had another life to look forward to. She had her knees drawn up to her chest, one wrist grasping the other over them. She had even smiled for the occasion, her fangs showing over her other teeth.

Kat carefully tucked the photos back into place and shoved the wallet back into her waistband, not having any pockets. She sighed, closed her eyes and leaned her head back a bit, basking in the warm sunlight. She debated what to do next; she needed new clothes, that was a no-brainer. And--more importantly--she needed a safe place to hide for a while. _Well, first thing's first_, she thought; _shopping it is._

Feng Chi had, of course, taught Kat all about life in the city, and that included shopping. "You need to be careful not to get lured into a bad deal, but that's usually only from private sellers. In a market or department store you're usually okay."

Kat walked lightly down the sunny streets, glancing at the huge apartment complexes, and wondered where to start. "If I were a shopping location," she muttered to herself, "where would I be..." Her was answered when she wandered into some kind of street fair, full of stalls and booths, and--to Kat's relief--clothes. She walked over to the one of the booths selling cheap clothes and started sifting through the shirts.

"Can I help you with anything today?" Kat turned her head in surprise and saw a teenage girl a few years older than herself standing behind her. She had a black haircut that reached her chin, its deliberately choppy ends highlighted in a bright neon blue. She had an easy grin and seemed curious of Kat's current apparel.

Kat replied with an easy tone, hoping she sounded like a local. "Yeah, sure. Just the usual; you got any suggestions?"

The girl smiled. "You bet."

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Kat walked away from the booths dressed in her brand new apparel. She had exchanged her tattered gray ensemble for a small light blue t-shirt, faded jeans, combat boots, and an olive green pinstriped pageboy cab, her ginger hair twisted up and stuffed into the cap. She had also bought herself a cheap blue bracelet and a key chain ring with a beaded butterfly dangling off of it. She had clipped it onto her front left jeans belt loop, and proudly displayed it. Feng Chi's wallet was now safely tucked inside her back-right pocket, in a safer place than her waistband. All in all, she was rather pleased with herself; she had successfully negotiated her first deal of her new life, and she had done it all on her own. She missed Feng Chi very much, but she was also glad to be on her own, where she could do what she wanted and when she wanted to do it. She was the one pulling the strings. 

She was surprised to find that she had liked shopping; it was fun to do something for herself after fourteen years. She walked down the street along the bay, Alaskan Way, and decided that it was high time to she had something to eat. She stopped at a half-outdoor restaurant on Pier 56, a place called Elliott's. There wasn't much of a line, just one person, and Kat glanced up at the menu and encountered another problem.

She couldn't read.

Feng Chi had taught her English, Chinese, and even a little Latin. But he had taught her how to speak it, not how to read it. After all, it wasn't as if he could just loan her copies of _Jane Eyre_ and _Moby Dick_. She decided that she was hungry enough to bluff her way through this. She stood behind the man at the counter and picked up what he was saying. "...I'll take a medium fish and chips with a soda, please."

"All right," said the girl at the cashiers desk, "that'll be $6.94 please." The man handed her a ten, and Kat memorized the look of the bill, deciding to imitate him. The girl gave him his change, and a plastic plaque with a number of some sort on it. He thanked her, and sat at a table outside, setting the plaque on the table. "Next?" Kat took a breath and walked forward.

"One medium fish and chips and a small soda, please." The girl didn't look suspicious, but Kat didn't want to take any chances.

"Okay, that'll be $6.94, please." Kat took out Feng Chi's wallet and produced a bill with the same design as the man before her had. _Judgment time, _thought Kat. But the girl just popped the register, placed the ten inside and counted out Kat's change. "$3.06 is your change," she said, handing Kat the money, which she stuffed in her pocket; she would put it in the wallet later. "Here's your receipt, and here's your number, thirteen. Please take a seat inside or outside and we'll bring you your food momentarily. Here's your glass, the soda machine is over there."

"Thank you," said Kat, very nearly sighing in relief. She had seen someone use the soda machine before her, and imitated her as well. She pulled the lever on the ice dispenser, letting a few ice cubes fall into the bottom of her glass. Then she pushed one of the drink buttons, not knowing which one it was, and filled up her cup. Then she walked outside and sat at the table nearest the waterfront. She set the number and her glass on the table, and relaxed in her chair. She had done it again; she was on a roll. She stared out at the glistening water, enjoying the suns heat on her back and on the top of her head. She wondered how often Feng Chi had done this; spent a day buying clothes and food. It felt good to do something by yourself, without any help. She wondered how it would have felt like to have grown up in this city; to go around and do this kind of thing all the time.

She was still contemplating while drinking her soda, surprised at the carbonation and the taste, this when a teenage boy in a black apron walked over to her and set her plate on the table, along with a plastic silverware set. "Here you go, enjoy," he said, then he walked back inside to the kitchen. She took out her knife and fork and cut herself a healthy piece of fish, popping it into her mouth. Her eyes widened in surprise; it was the most delicious thing she had tasted in her whole life--she thought--and it was so different than anything she'd ever had before. The chips were the same way, and soon her plate was empty, along with all of the tarter sauce. When she was done, she took out her change and put it, along with her receipt, in the wallet. Then she reluctantly and regretfully picked up her paper dishes and threw them away, walking out of the restaurant. It was a good start to her life.


	6. New Friends

The Angel Experience  
By Holly-Batali

Authors Note: Again, thank you so much for the reviews, I really appreciate the feedback. If you read this story, please review! Here's chapter six. Also, this is after New York, but this had no Total. So please keep in mind that the events in _The Angel Experiment_ already happened.

Disclaimer: All credit for everything--except Kat--goes to the genius that is James Patterson. Maximum Ride, no matter how awesome, is not mine. Much to my dismay.

Chapter 6: New Friends

After the flock had eaten, some place called Elliott's, they sat down at an ocean-side table and discussed what they were going to do next. Everyone seemed to have a different opinion. Max wanted to check out the area and see if they could find anything Itex-related, and Fang wanted some time to work on his blog. Iggy wanted to kick back and relax for a while, Gazzy wanted to find an arcade, Nudge wanted to go shopping, and Angel wanted to run around somewhere for a bit. They argued quietly for a while before they finally reached a conclusion in which everyone was somewhat satisfied.

"Okay," said Max, "so Fang and I will hit a cafe; I can work on Google for Itex and stuff, and he can do his blog. Nudge, Gazzy: you guys can head to the mall. Nudge can shop, and it has an arcade. Iggy, you and Angel can take a park. Iggy can kick back and Angel can play all she wants. Sound good, guys?" Everyone seemed enthusiastic, and the group split into their groups of two. But Max had had other reasons for the pairing; she was, as always, nervous of an attack or drawing attention. She and Fang worked well together, and she didn't want to put Iggy and the Gasman together, they caused too much trouble, and with them, trouble equaled attention. So it was Iggy and Angel and Nudge and Gazzy. She just hoped they wouldn't get into trouble anyway.

* * *

Max and Fang sat down at adjacent computer booths, opening up Internet browsers. Fang pulled up his blog and Max pulled up Google. They were both soon immersed in their work, and only got up to get more coffee or muffins. It was slow work, since neither of them could spell worth crap. Max kept a consistent stream of curses flowing under her breath, and Fang just narrowed his eyes at the computer monitor. 

"Fang," Max whispered.

He blinked to show he had heard.

"How do you spell Czechoslovakia? I've already tried three times, I can't get it."

Fang raised an eyebrow, but showed mercy. "Hang on a sec'." Max heard him typing for a minute, then, "Okay, it's C-Z-E-C-H-O-S-L-A-V-A-K-I-A. Got it?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Fang paused his typing to hear a quiet, "stupid grammer-impaired Czechs."

* * *

Nudge squealed as she and the Gasman walked through the entrance to the mall. "Oh my gosh, Gazzy!" Breathed Nudge, gleefully taking in her super-sized surroundings. They had walked into the Seattle Pacific Place, and Nudge decided that she had never seen anything cooler than this. 

"I am _so _off to the arcades. See you later," said the Gasman in an awed and reverent tone.

"Okay," breathed Nudge absently, not really noticing. "I'll be in every shop I can get to. I'll start over there," she pointed to a kids clothing department, "after I'm done with that section I'll tell you where I'm going next, 'kay?" Gazzy just nodded and sprinted to the video games store as quickly as he could without attracting too much attention.

Nudge took one more look around herself, then said quietly and to herself, "I am in heaven." Time to shop.

* * *

Iggy sat down heavily on the bench in the park, stretching out on it. He could hear Angel running in the opposite direction, playing in the grassy park. He couldn't remember the last time that they had a day off. It felt so incredibly good to just stretch out and take a well-deserved--in his opinion, anyway--break. He felt the sun on his face as he closed his eyes, not that it made a difference whether they were closed or open. He lay back all the way on the bench and relaxed, falling into blissful sleep. _Hope Angel can take care of herself for a few minutes..._

* * *

Staying out of sight seemed slightly pointless to Kat. The erasers hadn't come after her, and she didn't want to spend her new life hiding and hoping they wouldn't remember to come after her. She was sitting at Elliott's again, this time without food. The nice thing about being part cat, she thought absently, was that raw fish didn't make you sick. All she had to do was take a walk on the wharf and _voila_! Breakfast at Tiffany's. In fact, she actually enjoyed eating raw fish. The taste was unusual but still pleasant, and it made her feel like a real tiger, fending for herself in the wild after a life of boring captivity. 

She got up and stretched her legs, deciding to take a walk. The weather was cloudy and gray, just the way she liked it, and she felt like enjoying it. She still had the same clothes, and was wearing her now much-adored hat. She walked easily down Alaskan Way, completely at home in her surroundings. She spent almost all of her time down here, and liked it very much. She decided to head for the park. She already knew about pedestrian lights, traffic, bus stops, and taxi's. She was a quick learner, and an eager one at that. She caught the bus between Madison and Marion, on Alaskan, and sat down on one of those comfortable rubber seats she loved so much. She stared out the window, smiling as the familiar buildings rolled past her, then got off, thanking the driver, at Yesler and Broadway. She could have walked here, it was only slightly over a mile, but she enjoyed taking the bus.

She had her hands in her pockets, and looked up to see the park. Instead, she saw something else. She stopped dead in her tracks, fear freezing her muscles. There were Erasers, here, in a quiet Seattle park. They hadn't noticed her yet, and she intended to keep it that way. She walked swiftly toward the benches, hoping against hope that they wouldn't notice her. They were talking quietly amongst themselves, and were apparantly totally engrossed in the conversation, since no one noticed when she walked past not five meters away.

There was a batch of trees behind the benches, and she headed for them. There was a little girl playing in the field, and a young teenage boy sleeping on the bench. He was gangly and tall, with strawberry-blond hair and slightly dirty clothes. Suddenly, the Erasers behind her yelled.

"Hey, you! Get back here!" The boy on the bench sprang to his feet, and the girl ran over to him. Kat broke into a run, heading for one of the trees. The little girl jumped out in front of her, blocking her path.

"No, go for the ones over there," said the girl urgently, pushing Kat towards a thick grove of trees to the left of where Kat had been running. "Iggy," she said urgently, to the blond boy. "Over here, in the trees." The boy's head snapped toward the little girl, who was still pushing. He sprinted over to them, just as the little girl pushed Kat against the trunk. "Here," she said urgently. "Climb, fast." Kat unsheathed her claws, hoping they wouldn't notice, and sprang up the tree exactly like a housecat would. The boy, Iggy, pushed Angel up the tree and scrambled up after her. They climbed as high as they dared, then hid themselves in the branches.

Underneath them, Kat could hear the Erasers running. "Must've gone this way."

"...she's fast."

"...go. Maybe she went over there."

After a minute or two, the boy, Iggy, whispered, "Alright, they're gone." The three of them climbed down the tree quietly, not taking chances. When they were on the ground, the two others turned to Kat expectantly.

"Thanks," she managed to get out. "I owe you one. Well, I'd better get going." She started walking swiftly away, but Iggy called her back.

"Why were those Erasers chasing you?" Kat froze, and turned slowly around.

"How do you know about Erasers," she asked suspiciously. Iggy turned to the little girl, her golden curls blowing slightly in the wind. She nodded and Iggy started talking.

"Well, they've been chasing us for a long time. We're kind of different, if you know what I mean. Why are they chasing you?"

Kat decided that she didn't care about her security and secrecy anymore, she was too curious. _Curiosity killed the Kat, _she thought. _Ironic. _"Well, I'm also pretty different, thought I bet in a different way than you." Iggy and the girl smiled.

"Oh, I doubt that," said the girl in an angelic voice. She skipped up to Kat and held out her hand. "I'm Angel, and this is Iggy; who are you?"

Kat took her hand with surprise. "I'm Kat."

"That's a cool name. Why are you called that? I'm called Angel 'cause I guess I'm like an Angel. And Iggy--"

"Let me guess," said Kat, seeing Iggy fiddling with a box of matches, "It comes from the Latin word _Ignis, _fire." Angel smiled in that angelic way of hers and waited for Kat to talk about her name. "I'm called Kat 'cause of a few things really." _Like, a tail, and ears, and claws, and fangs..._

Angel waited patiently. "You really want to know?" asked Kat, already knowing the answer.

"Yep," said Angel and Iggy in unison.

Kat sighed, and took off her cap, her hair tumbling messily out to reveal a pair of ginger and black tiger ears, the inside fur a dirty white. Angel gasped in what appeared to be delight and Iggy looked confused.

"What's going on Angel," he said, sounding miffed.

"She's got cat ears," squealed Angel, and Iggy looked surprised. It was then Kat noticed that Iggy's eyes were a strange whitish color. _Oh; he's blind. Okay..._

"I've actually got a lot more than that. But what about you?"

"Oh, we have wings," said Angel in an off-hand but-enough-about-me-what-about-you sort of voice. Angel turned to Iggy. "You were asleep for _hours _Iggy, we have to go find Max now."

They started off, then Angel turned around. "Kat? Aren't you coming?"

Kat was caught off gaurd, but said, "where are you going?"

"Max told us to meet her at some place called Elliott's. We'll have to check a map or two--"

Kat smiled. "Don't sweat it, I know the way there by heart. Come on, we can walk or take the bus."

"I say walk," said Iggy. "I don't really like buses."

"Follow me. I know my way to Elliott's in my sleep. That's where I spend all my time, actually. If you want, on the way, we can grab some raw fish, it's pretty good. I can catch it quick so we don't waste time. Do you guys like fish?" She got it all out quickly, not really registering that she had just made her first friends.

"Raw fish?" That was Iggy. "Uh, ew."

"But she's part-cat, Ig. Of course she eats fish. All cats eat fish, right Kat?" Angel said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Actually," said Kat. "I'm a human-panthera-tigris-tigris hybrid, not a domestic cat, you know, a house cat."

"And all that scientific crap would be..." Iggy asked sarcastically.

"Bengal tiger," Kat shrugged it off, trying not to show how smug she was feeling. Bengal tigers were pretty darn cool. She smiled at their surprised expressions, and turned away, laughing quietly. "Come on, Elliott's it is. But if you really want to, we can skip the raw fish."

* * *

Authors Note: I'll update soon, please review! Happy holidays everyone! 


	7. Show and Tell

The Angel Experience

By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: All credit for everything but Kat goes to James Patterson.

Chapter 7:Show and Tell

Kat walked down Yesler with Iggy and Angel. She liked Angel very much; she was chatty and energetic, something Kat hadn't had much experience with, and she liked to hear about Angel. She liked Iggy too; he was sarcastic and sexist, sure; but he was also very fun to be around, and he seemed to approve of her.

"So," Iggy began. "How do you know exact directions to this Elliott's place?" Kat liked sarcasm, and she smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe 'cause I've only spent almost all of my time there since I escaped from the lab?" Iggy half smiled, half scowled but didn't let the subject drop.

"And that would be..."

Kat decided to change the subject, this was getting boring. And she'd have to explain it all to this Max guy again anyway. "So who's Max?"

Angel took up on the subject energetically. "Only the best leader we've ever had. Well, aside from Jeb, we didn't really have another leader... But still, Max is great, really brave. She's so cool."

Oh. _She _was cool. Okay. Weird name for a girl though. Then again, Kat decided that she wasn't the best judge of names herself. All too soon it seemed, they were turning North-West onto Alaskan Way. _This road goes on forever, _though Kat absently. _This and Yesler. _

As soon as Pier 55 came in view, Kat stopped, still one Pier away. "Do you guys see this Max person anywhere?" She was still suspicious.

"There she is!" Angel hopped once or twice, trying to get Max's attention. Kat saw a tall girl with sandy-blond hair look up from talking to a boy, probably her same age. He looked up too; he looked like he was Mediterranean, maybe Italian, or Spanish. Next to them were two more kids, one a bright-looking African-American girl who was chatting animatedly to the other boy, a short kid with blond hair and blue eyes, much like Angel's, who was busy eating a piece of candy.

"Angel, you want to take over?" Now that they were actually here, Kat was hesitant to actually meet this famed 'Max.' Was she a 'good guy', or would she turn her over to the Erasers in the end? Now all four of them had noticed Iggy, Angel, and herself. The two younger looking ones seemed nervous, Max seemed partially confused, and partially upset. The Mediterranean boy didn't appear to show any emotion at all.

Angel walked in front, and Iggy behind her; Kat followed behind him, childishly attempting to appear invisible. When they arrived at Elliott's, they all pulled up chairs and sat down, except for Kat. She stood uncertainly, not quite knowing what to say. Iggy reached over to the empty table beside theirs and grabbed one of the chairs. He pulled it up beside him and said, "Sit here."

The others looked surprised, but Kat sat anyways, slowly lowering herself into the proffered chair. "Who are you?" asked Max, not beating around the bush.

Not letting Kat answer for herself, Angel went right into the explanation. "Oh, Max, this is Kat. She's really cool, and she's a hybrid like us, only not an avian one." _These people get right to the point, _thought Kat in surprise.

"Cool," said the African-American girl. "So what are you, like, are you part fish? Part dog? Part--" she was cut off by Max.

"Okay, that's good." She cast a glance at Angel, and Angel nodded. "A'right. I guess we can trust you. I'm Max; this is Fang," the tall dark Mediterranean boy, "Nudge," the speed talker, "and the Gasman, Gazzy for short." The blond boy. "So," to _briefly _summarize Nudge's question, what kind of hybrid are you?"

For some reason, Kat felt self-conscious about admitting this to them, when she had had no hesitation at all talking to Iggy and Angel. "Panthera tigris tigris," she mumbled incoherently.

"What was that?" Max asked.

"Panthera tigris tigris," she said more loudly.

"Is that some kind of cat?" That was Nudge talking.

"Yeah," sighed Kat. "I'm part, um, Bengal tiger." They all looked slightly skeptical, so she sighed again and said, "If we can go somewhere less public, I can show you."

"Show us what," asked the Gasman.

"She's got ears, and fangs, and claws," said Angel, then added, "She says she's got a tail too, but me and Iggy haven't seen it yet." Nudge and Gazzy looked impressed, and Fang and Max raised their eyebrows.

"Do you really have a tail?" asked Gazzy in an awed voice.

Kat nodded keeping her expression alert and confused. "Yeah, I do. Um, no offense, but do you guys actually have wings or something?"

"Yup," said Max, playing with a bottle cap on the table. "So, you want to show us? Your ears or whatever? Do you have a 'less public place' for it?"

Again, Kat nodded. "Yeah, right down by South Jackson Street and Alaskan Way." More surprised looks.

"Wow," said Gazzy. "Looks like we have another Nudge on our hands. Only--a less talkative one."

"Yeah, she's kinda like that," said Iggy, speaking up for the first time. Max gave him a weird suspicious look, then turned back to Kat.

"Okay, lead the way."

* * *

"Alright," said Max, "Who goes first?" 

They were at the set location, and Max referred to who was going to show their hybrid 'side affects' first. Nobody seemed to want to.

"How about this," said Nudge, "One of us will show you our wings, the you show us your claws or something. Then another set of wings, and your fangs. Like that, sort of taking turns."

"A'right," said Kat doubtfully. Angel skipped forward and shrugged out of her jacket. Kat's eyes widened as Angels white wings unfurled. "Oh, okay." was all she could manage.

"Let's see your claws now," said Gazzy anxiously, excited to see.

Kat smiled grimly and unsheathed her claws silently, holding her hands up for them to see. The younger ones gasped in delight and Max whistled. "Nice."

Nudge went next, then Kat revealed her fangs, which received appreciative oo's and ah's. After Gazzy's wings, she showed them her ears, and Fang rose one eyebrow slightly. After Max, she pointed out her eyes, with their cat-like appearance and amber color. Finally, after Fang's wings, she had to show her tail.

"Is anyone besides you guys looking," she whispered to Iggy. He shook his head slightly and she nodded. "Okay then, here goes." She reached under the bottom of her shirt and untied the piece of cloth around her waist. A heavy ginger and black fuzzy tail, complete with black fur on the tip, fell with a quiet thud, just reaching the ground.

Gazzy, Nudge and Angel gasped and squealed. "Wow!" they chorused. Fang raised both his eyebrows. Even Max looked surprised.

"Okay," said Max, drawing out the word. "So you have a tail. Anything else, fur? Paws?"

Kat grinned a fang-framed smile. "Well, I have a bit of fur on my spine, but that's about it." It was _so _worth it to see the looks on their faces.

"Can we see? Can we see?" There go the younger kids again.

"Nope, I have some limits."

"Aw," they said in disappointment. "There's no justice in this world," mumbled the Gasman.


	8. Wake Up Call and Evil Plotting

The Angel Experience  
By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride (for the eighth time) but I DO own Kat. (So stick _that _in your juice box and suck it, James Patterson!)

Authors Note: Sorry for the really long delay in posting, sharing a computer with five other people, two of them brothers and one a younger and barbie-obsessed sister, doesn't work too well. Read and review, and please give me suggestions.

Chapter 8: Decisions

Kat and the flock decided to spend the night in the park. They were all comfortable in the trees, even Kat. As they stacked hands that night, Kat couldn't help but feel a little lost. She had no idea what she was doing, had no idea where to go, and still felt in a daze about Feng Chi and her escape. She was never one to show emotion though, and kept it to herself. She was raised not to be sentimental, and she held to it.

She rolled over slightly, struggling not to fall out of the tree, and tried unsuccessfully to fall asleep.

* * *

Iggy and Fang were talking softly when Max woke up, and were absolutely no help getting Angel, Nudge, and Gazzy up. When they finally were, they were getting ready to split when Iggy said, "Yeah, uh, guys? What about Kat?" There were a few 'oh yeah's' and 'whoops'' and such. 

"I'll get her up," offered Angel and Nudge at the same time. They hopped over to Kat's tree and started gently shaking her. "Kat," they said quietly. "Kat get up." After a minute or two, Gazzy rolled his eyes.

"You guys aren't getting anything done that way. Here let _me _do it." He climbed over to Kat's tree and yelled "HEY, KAT! UP AND AT 'EM! Hey," he added, "I sound like Max."

"Chuò," she muttered. _Stop. _

"What'd she say?" asked Iggy. He got five unintelligent shrugs as a response.

"We're shrugging, Iggy." said Max.

"Sterquilinium," growled Kat.

Gazzy suddenly brightened. "Hey, I've got an idea!" He came up behind Kat, and looked down at her tail. "Uh-oh," said Angel, and she and Nudge jumped out of the tree. Gazzy grabbed Kat's tail mid-flick and yanked. Kat suddenly sat bolt upright and hissed. She extended her claws and took a blind swipe at the Gasman. "Gyah!" cried Gazzy as he fell out of the tree.

After several Mandarin curse words, Kat growled--quite literally--"If you _ever _do that again, I will personally claw your eyes out and force feed you raw fish." Max and the others, excluding Gazzy, were too busy laughing hysterically to care about that threat.

"You overslept," Iggy informed her as Kat helped a sheepish Gazzy back into the tree. "We're gonna bail, you coming?"

"That depends," said Kat, "on where you're going. My plan is to burn Itex, and everything and everyone in it, down to the ground."

The flock exchanged glances. "Yeah," said Max, "we kind of figured you'd want to do that. We don't really plan on burning it, but bringing it down is definately on the agenda."

"Good," said Kat confidently. "Then I guess I'll stick with you guys for a while, if that's okay."

Max nodded. "Sweet. So, where to first?"

Kat gave an evil and humorless smile. "Going to Itex is first."

Max nodded again. "A'right. We'd better get going then. Come on guys, up and--" She stopped mid-sentence. "Oh, yeah. Up and away isn't really going to work, is it?" she asked Kat.

"No," said Kat. "But that's what public transportation is for."


	9. Caffeine

The Angel Experience  
By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: If I really owned Max Ride, I would be signing books, not writing on fan-fiction. I do not own anything (except for Kat.)

Chapter 9: Caffeine

Apparently, the flock had a sort of phobia of public transportation, so they ended up walking everywhere. Which was fine with Kat; but Gazzy and Nudge whined the whole time.

"Max," Gazzy whined, slumping over as he lagged behind. "I'm tired."

"And I'm hungry," said Nudge. Max rolled her eyes. She had been fairly good about placating them--the first fifteen times.

"Gazzy, you slept in, plus you went to fell asleep before we did, so quit complaining. And Nudge--Nudge, we just stopped to eat twenty minutes ago!"

"But Max..." they chorused.

Kat led in front, with Iggy behind her, and then Max, Fang, Angel, Gazzy and Nudge. She rolled her eyes good-natured, and turned to Iggy. "Are they always like this?" she laughed.

"Yup." Iggy said nonchalantly. They were headed to a Starbucks--whatever that was--to do some research on Itex Seattle. Max had promised to show her how to use a computer, but she didn't see what good it would do though since she couldn't read.

When they finally arrived--after much whining and tarrying on Nudge and Gazzy's behalf's--they all sat down together at a cafe table. "Alright," said Max. "Orders anyone?"

"Oh, I want a large vanilla frappe," breathed Angel.

"Lots of muffins and a cappuccino," said Gazzy.

"Same," Nudge said.

"Just a decaf," said Fang in a bored tone.

"Anything with a ton of caffeine." Classic Iggy.

Max turned to Kat. "Kat, you want anything?"

"Um. I really don't know..."

"Oh!" Angel came over to Kat and whispered in her ear, "we're getting coffee. I highly recommend the frappe. But get caffeine. You'll need it. Tell, you what, Kat. You get a coffee, and I'll share my frappe with you, okay?"

Kat just nodded. "Okay, uh, sure thing Angel." Angel ordered for Kat, while the others started talking, mostly about how bad Erasers stink and whether dolphins or chimps were smarted than scientists. In the end, they agreed dolphins. But apparently, chimps were smarter than scientists too.

"Okay everyone," Max came back, arms laden with drinks and plates of cake and muffins. "Eat up." Everyone except Kat dug in to the plates while she sat back in her chair with a surprised expression on her face.

Angel came over to Kat with two muffins on a napkin and a tall plastic cup of some light brown beverage with some kind of white foam on top. "Here you go Kat." She set down the cup and muffins. "Drink up."

"Cheers," Iggy mumbled sarcastically.

Kat was instantly in love with the beautiful brown beverage and it's wonderful caffeine. She spent the rest of the stop drinking, going through three large cappuccinos.

"Um Kat?" Nudge giggled when they were on the road again.

"Yeah?" Kat asked breathlessly, hopping slightly up and down as she walked, her eyes wide and energetic.

"Have you ever had caffeine before?"

"Nopes. I've had hot mustard and sweet and sour sauce, and jalapeno peppers, but I've never ever had caffeine before. I don't think so, anyway. Does it always make you so happy and stuff?"

Nudge and Gazzy practically collapsed in giggles and Max snickered. "So," Max said in a slightly mocking tone. "When's the next coffee break? I need to know how much time we have to buy a straight jacket and some restraints."

* * *

Authors Note: Again, I'm sorry for the long delay. I'm going to try to fit in some more linguistics in here, so if you have any requests or advice, questions, comments, please contact me. 


	10. Nothing Like an Early Morning Workout

The Angel Experience  
By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: I own Kat. I do not own the flock, Itex, or anything else Maximum Ride, which is property of James Patterson.

Chapter 10: "Nothing Like An Early Morning Workout"

After various visits to coffee shops, lots of web surfing, and even more caffeine, the flock and Kat had still come up dry. They had tried every search engine they had ever heard of, and every search that they could think of.

"Did you try 'Seattle genetic mutation?'" asked Angel, leaning on Fang's arm as he typed on Google.

"Maybe it's some kind of code," suggested the Gasman from Fang's other arm.

"Like what?" asked Nudge from the next computer. "Hey, maybe it's like the numbers code that we had to do in D.C? Should we type in a ton of numbers or something?"

"I've pretty much run out of ideas," muttered Max from the cafe table where she, Iggy, and Kat sat drinking coffee. "Iggy?"

"Ditto."

"Kat?"

"I'm just here for the caffeine." Max gave her a skeptical look as Nudge and the Gasman snorted, trying not to laugh. "No, I haven't thought of anything. Oh, wait--" she said in an I-lost-my-patience-about-ten-Starbucks-ago-_and_-I'm-buying-so-don't-test-me tone, "what about..._let's just burn the damn place into the ground?!" _

"Hey, I'm not disagreeing with you," Iggy mumbled, "I'll donate some charges."

"Kat, Iggy, we've already been over this. We are _not _burning it down. Not yet, anyway," she added in an undertone. "And if you keep it up, I'll stick _you _in there, _then _burn in down."

"Fine, jeez," Iggy and Kat said in unison. They both went back to drinking coffee.

"Anything yet Fang?" Max asked over her shoulder, half chugging her frappe.

"Nope."

"Max?"

"Yeah, Angel?"

"There are Erasers coming here, I think we should leave now."

Kat, Iggy, Fang, and Max all swore viciously and jumped to their feet, throwing their almost finished drinks into the garbage as they rushed out the door, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel behind them.

Kat was in the lead by three yards already, heading at an Olympic sprinters pace toward Alaskan Way and Pier 57.

"Kat! Where are you going?!" Max was gaining fast.

"The pier," Kat shouted. "I know the way around, we can lose them if they follow us. Plus, it's the opposite direction." Kat ignored any further questions, rocketing downhill, leaping over carts, diving and darting through traffic, leaving the flock to catch up.

"Hey!" The erasers were coming!

"SPLIT UP!" Max screamed. Kat didn't bother seeing where the others went, but chanced a glance back, seeing three erasers coming at top speed. Time for action.

Kat dived through a line of cars at a stoplight, ignoring shouts and horn bursts. She hurtled through Pike Place market, diving through crowds and shops, trying to shake her pursuers, who were gradually gaining. She raced downhill, trying not to loose her footing, weaving through flocks of pedestrians. _Almost there..._ She could hear cries of protest in front of her as well as behind; they got louder as the Erasers came closer, causing plenty of disturbance themselves.

She got to Alaskan Way, heading down the street, toward the waterfront. She knew she couldn't loose them, and knew she had to fight, while her adrenaline was still pumping. She vaulted over a railing, landing down by the water. She spun away as the three Erasers came crashing down beside her.

"Ready to dance Catgirl?" One mocked her.

"Try me," she snarled, taking up a fighting position, arms up and feet in a crescent stance, knees bent. They rushed at her.

She waited a moment more, then hurled herself into the fight, spinning into the first, grabbing him from behind by linking their elbows. She used him as leverage as she jumped to deliver a double foot kick into rushing number two. She flipped back onto the shoulders of the first, then jumped off of him, flipping over the second and third. As she landed she gave a back wards kick into number three, sending him sprawling. Number Two rushed at her, and she ducked as he sent a punch right where her face had been. As her head came back up, she blocked his arm with her right, then used her left hand to chop his neck, then slam down into his shoulder with her elbow. As he collapsed onto his knees, she drove her elbow into his temple.

Number One was coming again, and she was prepared. She back-flipped over to meet him, twisting into a front flip two yards away. She landed on one knee and brought her arms up in a defensive two-armed block as he brought his arms together down at her. She joined her hands at her wrists, palms toward each other, then sunk them into his stomach, winding him. Then she jumped back onto her hands, bringing her joined legs up to grab his head, which he had bent over in response to her last move. She grabbed his head at the neck, then brought him over her, sending him flying behind her.

She gave a sweeping kick to Two and Three, jumping up as they fell. Number Two got up first, and she sent the heel of her right hand into his nose, snapping it. Then she finished him with a tornado kick and an elbow into the back of his head. He crumpled and lay as still as Number One. Number Three was the last one left.

He paused, regaining a fighters stance, just as Kat did. Then, after a moment of stillness, they rushed each other, both letting out wild cries. She spun counter-clockwise, arms out in a lopsided pinwheel. He countered with a double-arm block. He turned three quarters, ninety degrees away from her, then brought his leg in front, then away to knock Kat's legs out from under her, but Kat dodged, jumping back on her hands, Then forward, onto his shoulders. She jumped back again onto her hands, this time bringing him with her. He came down heavily; she turned over, onto her back and he followed, going onto his stomach. She flipped over him, using his back as a launch pad. She was back on her feet, and switched her weight rapidly from foot to foot, almost like a boxer, her fists up in front of her face. He stumbled to his feet, leaning down on one hand, then coming up, nose bleeding, face swollen.

Kat gave one last cry and rushed at him, then flipped onto her hands in a front flip. She sailed straight at him, driving her feet together into his collarbone. She heard a sharp snap as it broke and he fell to the floor. She continued one more flip to steady herself, then landed, one leg behind her, the other bent in front of her. Her hands were placed on the ground in front of her. She surveyed her handiwork, then, satisfied, straightened up, and stretched her arms. "Nothing like an early morning workout," she mumbled.

"I agree."

Kat tried to whip around, but a cloth sack was throw over her head. She struggled against invisible arms as a syringe of some sort was jabbed into her upper arm and an anesthetic injected. _A hypodermic syringe, _she had time to think. Then she went limp.

* * *

Authors Note: I. Love. Action Scenes. Please contact me, my information is on my bio page. So, what'ya think? 


	11. To Talk or Not to Talk

The Angel Experience

By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: I own Kat. I do not own the flock, Itex, or any of that good stuff.

Chapter 11: To Talk or Not to Talk

When Kat woke up, she was right back where she had started from: in a cage in a dark concrete room smelling of damp and disinfectant. She swore a few times, and that made her feel a little better. Her head was still a little fuzzy, and she still couldn't move much; she lay on her stomach, on the floor of the cage with her hands tied behind her back.

Where was the flock? Probably lost in the city... They would never admit it, but they were pretty bad at finding their way around Seattle by themselves. Max had told her about when they were in New York, and Kat knew they could find their way around there, but in Seattle they were hopeless.

"Iggy?" She called out, trying to turn her head to see anything. "Angel? Max? Fang, Nudge, Gazzy? Hello?"

"Kat!"

"Nudge! Where are the others?" Kat couldn't see Nudge, but her voice seemed to be coming from her left.

"Right here. Where are you?"

"I don't know, you tell me." There was a small silence.

"Kat?" Nudge asked.

"Yeah?"

"...Are we in Itex?"

"Yup." Nudge swore. "Hey! You can't cuss, Max'll kill me if she finds out."

"You cuss all the time in Chinese!"

"How would you know?"

"Well, it sounds like cussing, so you probably are!"

"Prove it!"

"Both of you, can it!"

"Iggy!" Nudge and Kat exclaimed.

"No, it's Bill Gates," Iggy replied sarcastic and bad-tempered as always. "Of course it's me morons."

"Where are the others," Kat asked. "Are they in here?"

"How should I know? S'not like I can see 'em."

"Well I can't either, I can't move. Nudge?"

"Same." Kat and Iggy swore.

"Hey!"

"Max!"

"Yeah, me. Report."

"I'm here," Iggy said.

"Me too," said Nudge.

"It sucks, but yeah, I'm here," Kat said.

Max waited a minute. "Angel? Gazzy? Fang?"

There was a groan. "I'm here," said Angel.

"Yeah, me too." There was Fang.

"Yup," and Gazzy.

"Okay." Max let out a deep breath. "So what now? And Kat and Iggy, quit swearing, you'll give Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel ideas."

They were all spared from answering when the metal double doors opened and a group of scientists and erasers walked in. Kat growled deep in her throat, only slightly placated when one of the erasers' eyes twitched.

"Sterquilinium," Kat spat out.

"What?" Nudge muttered.

"Crap."

"Oh, okay."

"Stop talking!" one of the erasers shouted at them. He glanced down at Kat. "Welcome back, mutant."

Kat couldn't think of a decent comeback yet. "Nĭ shì dà naĭ niŭ," she spat at him. _You're a big cow._

"What?" Nudge muttered.

"Couldn't think of anything else to say."

"What do you--nevermind."

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

"Well, technically, you said 'stop talking,'" said Kat, mouthing off while she still could. "But I suppose it _could _be interpreted as--"

"SHUT UP!"

"Then again, talk is pretty overrated. I suppose it's not going to matter at all in the 'Grand Scheme of Things' so why bother?"

"SHUT UP!!!"

"Then again, it's probably just to pass the time," agreed Iggy, nodding sagely.

"Yeah, you're probably right," said Max.

"Well, maybe a while ago, but why do you think they invented chess?"

"For old people to look smart without any physical exertion," answered Kat, totally deadpanned.

"You won't be laughing when we're done with you!" Promised the eraser, and the small group left, leaving the hybrids behind.

"Well that was certainly entertaining," muttered Fang sarcastically.

"Yeah, exciting," said Iggy.

"Welcome to my world," said Kat.


	12. Inside

The Angel Experience

By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: I do not own Max Ride, I do own Kat.

Chapter 12: Inside

"Got it yet?"

"No, stop asking."

"Fine. How about now?"

"No! Now shut up so I can concentrate."

Kat sat up against the bars of her cage, one claw inserted in the lock on her cage in an attempt to open the door. Her eyes were raised to the ceiling while she wiggled her claw around, listening for the pop of the lock. Nudge and the Gasman kept a lookout while Iggy listened for any approaching noise. Nudge was asleep and Max and Fang were talking in low voices, frowning in concentration.

Kat ignored the pain in her claw as she searched the interior mechanisms of the lock, face pressed against the cold iron of the thick bars.

"Uh oh," Iggy whispered suddenly. "Erasers at eleven o'clock."

"I've nearly got it," Kat said. Then the lock popped. "Yes! I've got it, guys!"

Kat froze as the erasers walked in. The eraser in front was the one she was interested in. "YOU!" She screamed at him. Then she let out a fierce yowl, sounding like the tiger whose DNA she had, and leaped at him, unlocked door flying wide open. The two of them fell to the floor, grappling. Kat slashed wildly at his face, shredding any part of him she could get to. Kat could barely hear the other erasers and the flock through the pounding in her ears. This was the eraser that had killed Feng Chi, and she was going to pay it back in full. The eraser was swearing profusely as three more erasers pulled Kat roughly away. She screamed insults and swear words at him in Chinese to the point where the flock was grateful English was their only language.

"YOU KILLED FENG CHI!" she finally screamed in English.

"You'll pay for this," the eraser growled at her, wiping blood away from his mouth and nose.

"I intend to pay in full," she hissed back at him, eyes slitted; she struggled against the erasers until they threw her back into her cage.

"Bring 'em all to Lab 7," the eraser said in a low, dangerous voice.

Kat was still and silent as they brought the flock and herself to the lab. She was still seething as they dumped all their cages in a corner, making sure the door to Kat's cage was pressed against the bars of another cage, Iggy's. The erasers all walked out of the lab, saying amongst themselves that they needed to inform certain scientists that they needed for experimentation. When the door slammed, Kat sighed contemptuously. "Tā shì dà naí niŭ hé tā de māma—"

"Kat?" Nudge interrupted.

Kat sighed again, this time more patiently.

"Ita?" _Yes?_

"Who's Feng Chi?"

Kat was silent for a moment. "He was sort of...he was like your Jeb; he was my lǎoshī, my teacher. Except, he didn't turn out to be an evil slime-ball."

Nudge was silent. "Oh."

"And they killed him," finished Max.

"Yes, he's dead."

"Well," max said, "at least this solves one problem; we're in. No need to worry about infiltrating, I guess. Now all we need is a good plan and an escape route."

"Yeah, that'll be easy," Fang said sarcastically.

"Shut up, Fang," Max muttered.

"Uh, Kat?" said Iggy, whispering to her. "What was all that Chinese stuff you said about his mom?"

"Um, nothing," she said slowly. "Just be thankful that you don't know Chinese and that Nudge cut me off when she did."

* * *

Authors Note: Once again, apologies for not posting chapter twelve sooner. I've just got over my writers block for _my _stories, but now I have a writers block for fanfictions. 


	13. What Do We Have

The Angel Experience  
By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: All credit for everything but Kat goes to James Patterson, and again, if I make mistakes with any Mandarin tone marks or Latin endings, I apologize. Formal enough?

Authors Note: I should probably put this on the end, and I will, but some of you might not read it. So, with that in mind--Huge thanks to Jayde3, aviator301, FateBreaker7, Eyeofthetiger, Snowleopard24, Bella's Mom, and PolkaDotFeathers for reviewing this. Also, thank you to all the 1,083 people who have read my story. You all get buttery toast! _Extra _buttery toast.

Chapter 13: "What Do We Have?"

Kat sat in her cage, brooding over the cruel irony of it all. She was right back where she started, and this time with three little kids, one of which would _not shut up! _Maybe the antiseptic smell had gotten to Nudge and killed one too many brain cells, but whatever it was, if she didn't shut up soon, Kat would do something drastic; well, as drastic as you can be when you're stuck in a cage.

She heard multiple scientists come into the room, maybe three of them. She rolled her eyes; she was in a foul mood already, and this was not helping. "What do you want?" she snapped at them as they approached the cage she was in. They just started stupidly at her, and she silently counted to ten. "Well, you obviously didn't come here for a walk." They exchanged glance and approached her, reaching out to grab the handles on the cage. "Oh goody, she muttered sarcastically, "a kennel-ride in the car, just what I love best."

"You're in no position to make jokes," growled one of them.

"Oh, well why don't you just cut me and pour iodine on it; you have plenty of it kicking around this dump anyways." She looked at him and notices long scars on his face, not yet healed. "Hey," she said, a spreading smile on her face. "I know you; you're the idiot who brought me to the basement when I was here last time. Nice to see you kept the souvenir," she added, nodding at his scars. "I'm touched," she sneered, "really." She could hear one of the flock--most likely Iggy--snickering in the background.

The scientist shot one last glare at her, then wheeled away her cage. He pushed the cart towards the room with the swimming pool; Kat thought how ironic it was that she was practically repeating the route of her escape.

* * *

After a rigorous swimming exercise, Kat was asleep by the time they brought her back to the room where the flock was. While she slept, the flock discussed any plans that would help. 

"We need the layout of the building," said Max. "Either we get it through one of the scientists via Angel, or we get Kat to do some kind of visual layout."

"Layout's not the only thing we need," said Iggy. "I've got a few charges left, but they're not going to do any good until we have an actual plan. Max, that's usually where you come in."

"So what _have _we got?" asked Fang, stretching as best as he could in the confined space. "Not a plan and not a layout."

"We need to do something soon, or we'll be too exhausted to do anything at all," Angel put in.

"Yeah," said Nudge quietly. "Kat was telling Gazzy, Angel, and me how she escaped last time, and she barely made it."

"Hey!" said Gazzy suddenly, "maybe we could do what Kat did; escape through the vents!"

"First of all," said Max, "she didn't actually escape through the vents, she went through the loading bay. And secondly, I don't think all seven of us will fit in the vents, they would collapse."

"What if," said Iggy slowly, leaning back against the bars, "we set off some charges in the vents or something, then ran the other way. Kat picked her lock, maybe she could get the others."

"Oh come on Iggy," said Max. "I don't think--"

"That's actually not a bad idea."

They all turned to look at Kat, who was now wide awake, leaning up on her elbow.

"Yeah," she continued. "That might work. Listen..." she went on to explain her plan.


	14. Escape Route

The Angel Experience  
By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: I own the awesome Kat. I don't own, Itex, Max, or the flock...Unfortunately.

Chapter 14: Escape Route 

"Okay," whispered Kat. "They're all gone." They had waited all day to put their plan into effect. The lights were all out save the industrial lamps hanging from the all ceiling.

Kat jumped out of her cage, the newly picked lock allowing the door to swing easily open. She walked over to Iggy's cage, picked his lock--which was easier and faster, picking from the front where she could see what she was doing. She moved through the line of cages in record time, and soon, they were all out. "Let's go."

They set off, creeping along passageways to get to different sections of the ventilation. Every fifty feet or so, Iggy would place one of his charges in the vent, and connect the wires to all of the others. They repeated this process multiple times, until Iggy presumably "ran out" of charges (they all knew he was saving some for later).

"Now," said Kat in a low whisper, "we wait for the opportune moment, then we set off the charges; not simultaneously, but one after another, okay? And Iggy," she added sternly, "_do not, _under _any circumstances, _set off the charges until then, got it?"

Iggy rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, it's appreciated."

"Whatever," said Kat, turning back to the others. "We're going to wait until then; it'll take some time, but we can use that to prepare."

"What do you mean, 'opportune moment,'" asked Max with the aid of air-quotes.

"That," said Kat with a wicked fang-rimmed grin, "is for me to know, and you to lose sleep over." She tapped the side of her nose and led the way back to the cages.

* * *

They spent every night the next eight days pouring over stolen floor plans, irrigation and construction layouts, and time cards of the guards and security officers. Everything had to be precise. Apparently, the flock had had some practice with pouring over boring documents, so Kat didn't have to worry about focus on their behalf. Well, mostly, anyways.

"Oh yeah," said Nudge, "we were all over those coded documents. Well, we got 'em in NY, but they were just of bunch of numbers and stuff.

"Not like we ever really figured it out," muttered Iggy, who--not being able to read anything--was bored out of his mind, leaning up against the wall, his hands in his back pocket.

"Shut up Iggy. Anyway," continued Nudge, "we did, like, everything. Seriously! We tried GPS, we tried Latitude and Longitude, we tried a bible cipher, I mean, we tried _everything._"

"I'm sure you did," muttered Kat absently, pouring over a layout of the Itex ventilation shafts.

"Kat," said Max, "what exactly are we looking for in the Opportune Moment? And don't give me that me-to-know-you-to-not-find-out crap. You're right, I _did _lose sleep over it. Thanks a lot."

"Welcome. Okay," Kat lay out the ventilation draft. "So, what we're specifically looking for is the best escape route through the building. The one that's fastest, the most reliable in an emergency, _and _the best one to go through unseen. Fang, hang me that Fire Escape map; thanks. So, what we've got here," she pointed to the red outlined pathway through the map, "is the suggested fire escape route; but when those charges go off, people are going to be coming in all directions to use _that _passageway, so we need something quicker, but less conspicuous. Got it? Good.

"Now, we'll also need a way to get down to the other cages to let out the other...um, hybrids. So we'll need to be doubly quick. The vents are, or course, out of the question, seeing as though that's where all the charges have been placed."

"Good thinking," complimented Fang, surprising Kat. Fang had spoken to her a grand total of five times now. Whereas Nudge never shut up; Max had a real talent for ignoring her. It was harder than it looked. And Max was still sane to put a crowning achievement on it.

"So, when do we actually set them off?" asked Gazzy.

"Not for another, oh...three days? We need to make sure we've got every scrap of information possible. In the meantime, I think I've got a good route."

The others--except Iggy--crowded around Kat eagerly, and looked to where she pointed on the fire escape map.

"Right there," she said. "See? We can get straight down the entrance to the side, where the shipments usually come in. It opens up onto every floor, so it's easily accessable. We'd need a PIN for the combo on the door, but I've already got it, thanks to Feng Chi. So we can get to the cages, and let them out via the shipment passage. Then we just go out through the adjoining North Lab, then out into the lounge and through the window."

"Brilliant," said Max. 

"Thanks," said Iggy, "glad that I thought of it."

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, it's almost done! Please comment on my story and suggestion: should I write a sequal? There will be a pole on my bio page or whatever. And could someone please explain what a C2 is?


	15. Fire

The Angel Experience

By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: I do not own Max, Itex, or the flock. There, satisfied? But I do own Kat, so stick _that _in your juicebox and suck it JP!

Authors Note: Just to say YAY! Max Ride #4: The Final Warning just came out a few weeks ago. Sweetness.

Chapter 15: Fire

Pretending to sleep was harder than it looked. Not because it took of lot of effort to make it convincing, just to stay still and not die of sheer boredom--and after three hours of it, Kat was about ready to claw someones eyes out. _Don't these people ever go home? _She thought angrily. _Jeez, just beat it already! _She cursed to herself and heard Angel stiffle a laugh, picking up on her thoughts. She decided to use Chinese instead.

"They're gone," Iggy muttered, sitting up and stretching.

"Yo," said Max quietly, "come on guys, up and at 'em." The rest of the flock sat up and stretched their cramped muscles, though still keeping their wings in. Kat hopped lithely out of her cage and opened the doors to the others.

"Let's go," she said simply. "Time for payback," she muttered to herself.

* * *

They crept silently along the walls through the hallways. Kat was in front, with Iggy behind; then came Max, Fang, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel. If she ever had to have a right-hand man, Kat though absently, it would be Iggy. Not only did he have the explosives and agree with her--especially where it concerned blowing places up--but he also had the best senses.

She tapped Iggy's right shoulder three times--one long, two short. _Get ready, _it meant. Iggy tapped back. Kat really had no qualms about directly disobeying Max and blowing the place up anyway, but she would rather just watch it burn slowly and sweetly. Preferably with _all _the scientists inside, but then again, you can't always get what you want, right? _Too bad..._

She walked faster, forcing the others to keep pace with her. It was time to bring down the house, raise the roof--literally. And she going to have one hell of a time doing it, too.

She set off on the decided route, and said to Iggy, without turning a hair, "set off the first charge."

She could almost _hear _the smile in his voice as he said, "can do, chief," and pressed The Button. An explosion shattered the rafters fifty feet behind them, debris flying in all directions. A siren went off, and red lights flared through the orange flame of the charge.

Iggy and the Gasman guffawed and slapped high fives. Max and Fang raised their eyebrows, and Nudge and Angel chatted. Kat smiled thinly, without the slightest hint of regret or mercy. She showed just how little mercy she was capable of when a scientist ran in front of her, attempting to stop them. Without breaking stride, she pulled back her arm, her muscles coiling like a spring, and brought it crashing into his windpipe. He collapsed, and didn't move.

She led the others to the stairwell, where she instructed them, "get down, and get the others out of the building. Three more jerks are coming this way, I'll take care of it. Iggy, set off one of two more charges, and when the others are out, wait thirty seconds, then blow the place." Then she added, for Iggy's ears only, "and do _not _listen to Max if she tells you otherwise. Blow it and blow it good. _Cappiche?"_ He smiled childishly and nodded.

The flock dissapeared down the stairs, and Kat turned to face the two approaching scientists, whose footsteps she had heard from meters away. She grabbed one's arm, twisted it behind his back, and sent a knee into his spine sending him sprawling. She kept a foot on his neck as Thug 2 came up. She elbowed his calmly in the stomach, then slammed it into his temple and his neck. She finished his off with a back-slice to the knee, and then an elbow to the face.

Both uncouncious, they were no threat to her. Now it was time to take care of real business.

She headed to the living quarters, where the scientists and erasers were.

She only needed to find one.


	16. Karma and Flame

The Angel Experience

By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the flock, Itex, or any of the eraser bastards. I DO own Kat; GO HYBRIDS!

Chapter 16: Karma and Flame

Kat walked brusquely to the living quarters, coolly ignoring the flames which erupted from every direction. As she reached the heavy metal double-doors that led into the living quarters, she opened them with a swift right-footed kick. She strode in purposefully, her eyes raking the abandoned bunks and the piles of lab coats on the floor. She was only here for one thing. She moved through to the back of the room, her eyes darting from object to object. She was at the back of the room now, and she knew that he was here somewhere...her uncovered cat's ears twitched. Sure, why _not _right behind her. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms not even bothering to turn around.

"You _do _realize that there's a fire in here, don't you?"

She could hear the sneer in his voice as he replied, "no freaking duh."

"And do you also realize," she continued, "that you are either going to die in the fire, or I will kill you here and now? Quite frankly, I prefer the second option."

"Oh really," he sneered. Kat turned around, putting her hands on her hips. "Well I'll double-check that for you, shall I?"

He stopped smiling and snarled at her. She hissed back at him, then growled. And without even thinking, she launched herself at him.

She grappled with a few _kali _punches, then resorted to instinctive, spontaneous improvisation, and attempted to slice his legs out from under him. He pushed her to the floor with a well-placed chin-crack kick, and she went down onto her hands. She balanced on her hands, her body at a ninety degree angel to the floor, and sliced him, her back leg coming in behind his knees, and her front leg slicing at his ankles. He dropped and she rolled on top of him. She pummeled any inch of skin she could reach, often using her elbows and head as well. after a particular combination--a well-placed back-fist to his left temple follewed by the same elbow to that same spot--she slammed her elbow into his neck with enough force to crack a cinderblock.

She heard the satisfying _crack! _of bone and he cunvolsed, then lay still. She got up, panting and bleeding heavily from the nose and right shoulder. She leaned over, on her knees, and watched with detatched alarm as the room began to collapse around her. She took one last look at the dead eraser and said, "That was for you _lǎoshí," _then she walked away.

As she jogged out into the hallway, she stopped. Iggy would be setting off the charges soon. In fact, _why hadn't he set them off already? _She set off at a running pace, enjoying the feeling of stretching her legs, despite the ironic scenery. She came to the swimming pool, and, quite aware of the irony concerning her previous escape, she dived into the pool and set off to the parallel side. She didn't mind getting wet; tigers enjoyed the water, and besides, the extra moisture would help her in the fire.

She climbed out of the other side and ran for the loading bay, hurdling fallen pieces of raftors and debris. She kicked open the bay doors and ran over to the large loading area.

The doors were closed.

She was trapped.

Wait...there was a small hole in the metal, and it was growing increasingly large, fire encircling the edges. Then Iggy's charges went off simeoultaneously, and she made a split-second descision. Rolling her eyes at the irony of it all, she jumped through the "flaming hoop," out into the night, propelled by the explosion and flames.

She rolled her landing and came up into a kneeling position. She began to stand, just as she heard Nudge's voice screaming "KAT!" She looked up in time to see the entire flock running up to her. Max and Fang were in front, with Iggy right behind and the younger ones scrambling behind them. Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel flung themselves on her, knocking her flat, causing her to crack her head on the cement.

"Are you okay?" Max asked.

"Yeah. Well, xiàn zaì, wŏ toŭ tŏng." _Now my head hurts." _

"Wha'?" asked Iggy. "Speak English please."

Kat rolled her eyes. "Rolling my eyes Ig. I said, 'now my head hurts.'"

They all turned to watch Itex burn to the ground, and Kat felt herself smiling.

Her first real smile.

"Well?" asked Iggy irritably. "What does it look like?"

"It's the most beautiful thing I have _ever _seen in my entire mutated life." Kat replied, her voice cracking in several places. She was suprised at the sincerity of her words, and to see her eyes slightly blurring.

The flames engulfed the horrid place as the flock and Kat sat down at the edge of the trees, watching it like a fireworks display. Max and Fang talked quietly while Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy lay down on their stocmachs to watch. Kat sat next to Iggy, hugging her knees as the pyro leaned back on his hands. After a few more minutes, she lay down and curled up on her side.

Finally, _finally, _the nightmare was over.

* * *

Authors Note: YAY! THIS IS _NOT _THE LAST CHAPTER!! I STILL HAVE AN _EPILOGUE _TO WRITE! _REVIEW_! (Please?)


	17. Family

The Angel Experience  
By Holly-Batali

Disclaimer: I don't own Itex or the flock. I own Kat, all right?

Chapter Seventeen: Family

Kat waited for the flock on the dock by their favorite pier. She was better dressed now, with army surplus combat boots, faded jeans, a blue t-shirt, and her bucket hat. She still had her keychain.

She looked out over the water and breathed in heavily. It was so relaxing here, so peaceful. Now that she didn't have to worry about erasers anymore--she hoped--then she could do whatever she wanted. She had found a job already; working as housekeeper for a weathy couple with two kids and a penthouse appartment, where _she _would be staying! They had adopted her into their family--unoficially, of course--like she had always belonged there. They had enrolled her in Chinese School, where she could learn to read and write in Chinese _and _English, as well as science, math, geography, P.E., music, and (her favorite) zoology.

She could finally have a life of her own. Undetermined by scientists and schedules. She could do what _she _wanted to do, not what somebody else wanted her to do. _Finally._

She opened her eyes and smiled as she heard the flock approach.

"Hey guys," she said with a smile. "Thanks for showing up. I now you guys are really busy, heading out and all."

"Pff," scoffed Max. "And not say bye to our best friend? As if! Get over here!" And with that, Nudge and Angel cannonballed into her, Kat-sandwiching her in a mutant-hug.

"Come with us!" begged Nudge. Angel just sniffled and burried her curly head in Kat's shirt.

"Can't," said Kat with a little laugh, feeling sad herself. "For one, I can't fly. For another, I've already got a new life going."

"Like what?" sniffled Gazzy, hugging her as well.

"I've got a new job, working as a housekeeper, where I can stay; and I'm working at an authentic Chinese store, down in a Chinatown area. It's just a few blocks from here. Plus, I'm going to be going to Chinese school. I'm really going to miss you guys though," she added, her voice cracking a little.

"You'll write to us, right?" Nudge asked as the three of them let go of Kat.

Kat laughed, but it was sad. "Can't do that either; unless they have postal service for flying bird kids. But you can write to me, okay? I'll try to stay in touch with you guys, I really will."

They nodded sadly, tearing up fast.

Iggy came up to Kat and said, "I'll make sure they write, 'kay? And thanks for letting me blow that place sky high; I needed that."

Kat laughed. "Yeah, so did I." She grabbed Iggy in a tight hug, and he hugged her back. "I'll miss you most," she whispered. "You're a lot more fun than Max. Maybe, if we see each other again, we can blow some more stuff up, 'kay?"

Iggy laughed and nodded. "Just say the word."

She moved to Fang next. "I just wanted to say, thanks for helping us out," he said. "One less Itex is a good thing."

Kat nodded and shook hands with him; he _almost _cracked a smile.

Only Max was left, and Kat moved on to her sadly.

"I'll miss you tons, Max." She said, a lump in her throat. "Even with your stupid rules, and being really bossy, and a control freak, and not letting Iggy and I torch the place. I'll still miss you."

Max laughed, and said again, "get over here." She gave Kat a huge hug, breathing shakily herself. "I've never met anyone else like us, who survived all the experiments and stuff. I'm really going to miss you," she whispered to Kat. "And you'd _better _keep in touch, 'cause we're going to need all the info we can get. Keep on a lookout for anything evil scientist-ish, okay?"

"I will," Kat laughed softly. "I'm really going to miss you guys," she said, then started crying, just a bit.

All of a sudden, she was a huge Kat sandwich, and everyone was hugging her. Even Fang put a hand on her shoulder. After lots of 'I'll miss you's and 'we'll write, every day's, they broke apart, and Kat looked at them all there together.

Family.

_Her _family.

"Well," she said with a deep breath. "How about one more fish and chips with coffee before we split up?" They laughed and together, the seven of them walked over to Elliot's.

Kat smiled to herself. A real family, a real life, and a real home.

Things were looking up.

As she got out her wallet to be ready to pay, her eyes fell on three things: the picture of her and Feng Chi together, when she was twelve; the picture of Feng Chi and his wife... and a picture of her family. Of her and the flock, on this very pier. Nudge had taken that picture, setting the camera on a tripod and putting it on timer.

Her family. All together. Her first full family.

The nightmare was _finally _over.

* * *

Authors Note: I don't know about you, put I like it. I _am _writing a sequel, called _School's Out--For Now, _so stay put and keep up with my crazy stuff. On my blog, (link at the bottom of my bio page) I will tell when I'm posting chapter one; or you can do Author Alert, or just check my bio page. That is, if you want to read it. Thank you _so _much to everyone who reviewed, everyone who kept up, and everyone who read it--all 1,603 of you! You are all SO awesome! I'm going to really miss this story; it was my first one, my baby. Well, fly on Max Ride fans! Fly on!


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